Jimmy McGovern delivers his Screenwriters' Lecture | BAFTA Home Television Features Jimmy McGovern delivers his Screenwriters' Lecture Jimmy McGovern delivers his Screenwriters' Lecture Share 30 September 2015 The BAFTA-winning writer of Cracker, The Street, Accused and Banished talked to journalist Miranda Sawyer about his passion for people, his politics and what makes a great screenplay. In an impassioned lecture Jimmy McGovern discussed his career and marrying real life with drama to tell captivating, hard-hitting stories about working class people. Listen to Jimmy McGovern's Screenwriters' Lecture Download the brochure > McGovern’s first screenwriting job was on Channel 4’s Merseyside-set drama Brookside which he wrote on from 1982-1988: “[At first] I didn’t know what I was doing... It took me about 9 months to realise you’ve got to give of yourself to the storyline.” It was on Brookside that McGovern discovered his talent for “excavating” stories: “Quite early on I knew I was worth my place. Though the scripts were not good, I could generate story.” “You have to bring yourself to it.

How can I make this me?” Whilst honing his craft on challenging plot lines and realistic working-class characters, McGovern was also making headlines: “I’m sure we did cause offence but I think we had integrity and told the truth. Maybe it’s the truth that causes offence.” His next project, and what he considers “the best thing I ever wrote,” was one-off drama Needle about Liverpool’s needle exchange HIV-prevention scheme. The politics were close to his heart, bolstered by research interviews with heroin addicts, and he was determined to impress, “to show them that I’m better than the average writer.” "You can't expect your characters to laugh unless you do and you certainly, certainly can't expect them to cry unless you cry writing it." McGovern’s passion for politically-motivated stories and authentic characters would become his signature with searing television dramas Hillsborough, The Street, Accused and Common. A topic explored in much of McGovern’s work is the chasm between law and justice.

For him, “law can keep you away from justice, and you don’t find out until you’re the victim of injustice.” “That is what I constantly write about, men and women not doing the right thing because it just costs too much, sometimes your life, but often your reputation or your friendships or your faith.” Discussing his writing method, McGovern admitted “I hate writing page one,” but that he revels in the research for a screenplay. For him, a great script editor is a crucial collaborator and important as a sounding board: “Any kind of input is useful, even if you think it’s wrong, as long as you use it.” McGovern left the audience will a brilliant screenwriting mantra – “simplicity of narrative, complexity of character” – summing up the commitment to character, emotion and truth that make his writing so exceptional. — BAFTA Guru (@BAFTAGuru) September 29, 2015 Biography Jimmy McGovern is one of the UK’s most celebrated television screenwriters.

His teleography includes such seminal dramas as Dockers (1999), The Lakes (1997-1999), The Street (2006-2009), Accused (2010-2012) and Common (2014). McGovern cut his teeth on continuing drama Brookside (1982-1988), writing many plotlines over the course of his six-year stint. His talent for tackling tough social and political issues through the eyes of the individual was perhaps honed on the show, providing firm grounding for what would come next: Cracker (1994). Created and predominantly written by McGovern, Cracker introduced us to Fitz, one of the most complex and sympathetic characters ever created for the small screen, vividly portrayed by Robbie Coltrane. Cracker set the tone for McGovern’s future oeuvre, which although dramatically different, bear similarities in their mix of unflinching social commentary and compelling drama. It was the first of his work to earn McGovern a BAFTA nod (for Drama Series, with Gub Neal in 1994), and he would be nominated a further eight times in various categories.

His BAFTA wins include Hillsborough for Single Drama in 1997 (with Nicola Shindler, Charles McDougall and Katy Jones); and two for The Street for Drama Series in 2007 and 2008 (with Sita Williams, Terry McDonough, John Chapman, David Blair and Ken Horn). He was presented with BAFTA’s Dennis Potter Award in 1995. Share Jimmy McGovern Net Worth 2017-2016, Bio, Wiki - Celebrity Net Worth Is one of 9 children. Siblings are three sisters and five brothers. ﻿ Quote 1 I envy people like Fitz. I envy Robbie Coltrane. There was one night when it was at a Cracker rap party and he had us all in stitches. He was absolutely brilliant, then at the end of the night he played the piano brilliantly too and I hated him. 2 [on finding out Robbie Coltrane was to be cast as Fitz in Cracker] I was suicidal.....I thought it was the biggest mistake ever made...because I had this thin wiry guy in mind. I was going to walk, I was on the phone to my agent and then the first few rushes came out ....

and he was absolutely astounding. ﻿ Looks like we don't have Jimmy McGovern trademarks information. Sorry! ﻿ Jimmy McGovern Net Worth - Celebrity Net Worth 2016 Home / Authors / Jimmy McGovern Net Worth Jimmy McGovern Net Worth How rich is James Stanley McGovern? James Stanley McGovern Net Worth: Under Review 67 years, 11 month, 16 days James Stanley McGovern profile links James Stanley McGovern profile links More net worths Jimmy McGovern Net Worth, Biography, Wiki 2016 Jimmy McGovern (born 1949) is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool. He received two Edgar Awards for Cracker, and critical praise for The Lakes, The Street, and The Accused, which won a 2011 International Emmy for best drama series. His docudrama, Hillsborough, was also well received.

Filmography TV Series writer - 7 episodes Moving On TV Series 20 episodes, 2010 - 2014 series created by - 5 episodes, 2013 Common TV Series by - 10 episodes, 2010 - 2012 written by - 10 episodes, 2010 - 2012 The Street TV Series 6 episodes, 2006 - 2007 written by - 7 episodes, 2006 - 2009 writer - 4 episodes, 2006 - 2007 Cracker TV Movie characters created by - uncredited / written by Gunpowder, Treason & Plot writer The Lakes TV Series 3 episodes, 1999 writer - 4 episodes, 1997 - 1999 written by - 3 episodes, 1997 - 1999 Cracker: Mind Over Murder TV Series original teleplay - 2 episodes, 1997 original teleplay "To Be a Somebody" - 1 episode, 1997 original episode "To Say I Love You" -

 1 episode, 1997 original series - 1 episode, 1997 Hillsborough TV Movie written by Cracker TV Series 8 episodes, 1994 - 1996 written and created by - 10 episodes, 1993 - 1994 written by - 6 episodes, 1993 - 1995 excerpts written by - 1 episode, 1995 Go Now Jimmy McGovern - TV.com Jimmy McGovern EDIT Jimmy McGovern is an award-winning English scriptwriter.

In 1949, he was born in Liverpool as the fifth of nine children of a working-class catholic family. He was a bright student, although he reports not to have spoken in the first years of his life.

He gained a scholarship… more Credits S 2: Ep 5 Robbie Coltrane 5/11/13 S 4: Ep 0 Cracker: Behind the Scenes 10/1/06 S 30: Ep 3 Robbie Coltrane 9/24/06 S 27: Ep 4 TV Stories (2) 2/8/04 S 27: Ep 3 TV Stories (1) 2/1/04 S 4: Ep 2 Nine Eleven 10/1/06 S 3: Ep 3 Brotherly Love, Episode 3 10/29/95 S 3: Ep 2 Brotherly Love, Episode 2 10/23/95 S 3: Ep 1 Brotherly Love, Episode 1 10/22/95 S 2: Ep 9 Men Should Weep, Episode 3 12/5/94 S 1: Ep 2 Bold Street: Stan 4/20/06 S 1: Ep 1 Bold Street: The Accident 4/13/06 S

 1: Ep 1 Sunday 1/28/02 S 2: Ep 8 Episode 2-8 2/28/99 S 2: Ep 2 Episode 2-2 1/17/99 S 2: Ep 1 Episode 2-1 1/10/99 S 1: Ep 4 Episode 1-4 10/5/97 S 1: Ep 3 Episode 1-3 9/28/97 S 2: Ep 2 Piece of Cake 1/8/91 S 2: Ep 1 Christmas Spirit 1/1/91 S 1: Ep 5 A Proper Copper 3/7/90 S 31: Ep 104 Fri 31 Aug, 1990 8/31/90 S 17: Ep 35 Old Habits Die Hard 7/19/89 S 17: Ep 34 She's Staying 7/17/89 S 17: Ep 26 Dog Muck 6/14/8

9 S 17: Ep 25 I Need You 6/12/89 S 16: Ep 35 Ructions 3/8/89 S 1: Ep 4 Lemmings Will Fly 10/9/97 S 1: Ep 3 Madwoman 10/2/97 Become a contributor Important: You must only upload images which you have created yourself or that you are expressly authorised or licensed to upload.

By clicking "Publish", you are confirming that the image fully complies with TV.com’s Terms of Use and that you own all rights to the image or have authorization to upload it. Please read the following before uploading Do not upload anything which you do not own or are fully licensed to upload. The images should not contain any sexually explicit content, race hatred material or other offensive symbols or images. Remember: Abuse of the TV.com image system may result in you being banned from uploading images or from the entire site – so, play nice and respect the rules! Choose background: Screenwriters' Lecture Series 2015 brochure: Jimmy McGovern by BAFTA - issuu issuu Issuu on Google+ Screenwriters. On Screenwriting. The BAFTA and BFI Screenwritersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lecture Series in association with The J J Charitable Trust 23 September - 03 October 2015 Just write. You can dive in later… You have to create your material first – do the knitting, spin the wool.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s bad, because you can make it better later, but if you’ve nothing to work on then it’s neither bad nor good, it’s just nothing. So just write. It doesn’t matter what you write. Just sit at that desk and write.” EMMA THOMPSON S C R E E N W R I T E R S ’ L E C T U R E 2 014 W elcome to the sixth year of the BAFTA International Screenwriters’ Lecture Series, in conjunction with the BFI and The JJ Charitable Trust. While continuing to assert the primacy of the screenplay as the sine qua non of narrative filmmaking, this year’s lectures reflect the ever more fluid relationship between the different media delivering drama to their public. As more and more screenwriters migrate between film and television, film and theatre, film and novel-writing, we invite five of the world’s best screenwriters to interrogate and elucidate their unique relationships with this shifting paradigm. We open with the Oscar-nominated screenwriter and world-renowned novelist Nick Hornby, followed by one of Australia’s greatest living playwrights and the screenwriter of A Most Wanted Man, Andrew Bovell.

Winner of the coveted Writers Guild of America award for Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen, nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar, Nancy Meyers discusses her extraordinary filmography, including Private Benjamin, Baby Boom, Something’s Gotta Give and It’s Complicated. She is followed by one of the UK’s most renowned dramatists, the multi-award winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern, author of such seminal works as The Lakes, Hillsborough, The Street, Accused, Banished and the film Priest. We end this year with the garlanded American playwright Beau Willimon, screenwriter of The Ides of March and creator of the multi-award winning US version of House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey. Jeremy Brock Screenwriter and Founder of the Lecture Series ncerts. o JENNY c n i e ev n’t beli o d e W . No . DAVID ’re real y e h t , u sure yo Oh, I as vell... s, MARTHA d define for u l u f you cothe long-term we i , e b y a M think at are what youve would be? Wh objecti to achieve?

trying Nick Hornby Wednesday 23 September, 19.30 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly GÜNTHER safer place. he world t e k a m o many, Nick Hornby is synonymous with TFor Hornby’s unique insight into the literary the world of literature, having won numerous process perhaps informs his talented and awards and nominations for his bestselling sympathetic adaptations. In 2014, he followed novels, including being shortlisted for the An Education with the emotionally engaging prestigious Whitbread Book Awards in 2005. adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling Several of his factual and fiction books have memoir, Wild, which starred Reese served as inspiration for films in their own right, Witherspoon. November 2015 sees the UK including High Fidelity (2000), About a Boy release of Brooklyn, an adaptation of Colm .. rs.and Meye(2002) Fever Pitch; the latter adapted for Tóibín’s acclaimed novel of the same name, the screen by Hornby himself in 1997 starring Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, (eagle-eyed viewers may also have spotted Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent.

R the writer’s brief cameo as a R football e THUcoach A , we havLtOhNeE SbCeHsEtR F I G s in the film). e i v o m e n the work isajust But Hornby’s screenwriting d we hav are a s, i n i r I s e i d as celebrated, having and allergy to l, Maybeait’ssNick’s lahim both BAFTA ng won n,modesty n tel capast. e thatoexplains leadiAward r I and Academy nominations in the anything pretentious the minimalism in e , m u o o s Y d. enBAFTA-nominated utforforhis h Indeed, twice scripts. They frheiwas sare,t at the same time, airy and dense. , b y d e be a l t g e n k i An Education (2009), once for his Adapted His dialogue and prose is usually dry and precise, but i d l a e l ving ha e b Screenplayuof'Lynn Barber’s memoirs, and on rare occasions there is space for a wonderful effect: e r yo again for Outstanding Nick’s setting characters free when spilling their beans, .

British Film, alongside iend frFinola producers Dwyer and Amanda Posey and or letting himself divert into long, meticulously detailed director Lone Scherfig. His screenplay was also description. I think my favourite is the album cover copy Oscar nominated. in Juliet, Naked. 2 The BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series what you f you could de objectiv think the lon fine for us, trying t e would be? Wh g-term o achiev at are w e? e GÜNTH To make the worlER d safer pl ace. Nancy Me yers... Iris, in ARTHUR leading the movies, w e have195 Piccadilly es 25aSeptember, friend. ladiFriday Andrew Bovell 19.30 at BAFTA n d w e leading You, I can tel have the best l, are a ady, but you'rinebothbhislnative As an acclaimed playwright with the lives of multiple characters interlocking f o r e s hnovingafterlthe initial discovery omofea dead r Australia and internationally, it is perhaps a body. friend e ason, ike he are just as compelling .

work often surprise that Andrew Bovell’s film His other filmtscripts best focuses on examining the human condition. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the rich characters that inhabit his adaptation of the John le Carré novel, A Most Wanted Man (2014), directed by Anton Corbijn, and in particular its conflicted protagonist, intelligence expert Gunther Bachmann. This nuanced, world-weary character, impeccably played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in his last leading role, is indicative of the kind of delicate characterisation that prevails throughout Bovell’s screenplays. A master of penning scripts for ensemble casts and giving each character their own, very defined agenda (a skill perhaps honed through his stage work), Bovell’s screenplays are often labyrinthine in their complexity, but never so convoluted that they are impenetrable.

Gripping thriller Lantana (2001), based on Bovell’s own play, Speaking in Tongues, is a prime example, in association with The JJ Charitable Trust and include Edge of Darkness (2010), directed by Martin Campbell and starring Mel Gibson; three collaborations with director Ana Kokkinos, Blessed (2009), The Book of Revelation (2006) and Head On (1998); and the original screenplay for director Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom (1992). A N TO N C O R B I J N It is not an easy task to throw pages out of any John le Carré novel and make the rest of it into a script, and A Most Wanted Man is no exception, but Andrew did just that. He came to Hamburg with me in September 2010 (on a bicycle, which came naturally to me, but was not a great experience for him, though a good way to bond) as I wanted the city to be a character in the film. He then went back to Australia and put this amazing, clear and very compelling story together that lost nothing of the intricate world of the book.

3 In the Beginning… All films and television dramas start with the screenwriter. Every line of dialogue and every action on screen begins with them. But writing a script can be daunting, so here’s some sage advice from past lecturers in this series on how to beat that blank page… n... STEVEN KNIGHT I try to make the opening of the film an event or a decision that causes the rest of the film to happen. It’s like the pebble that hits the pond. It’s because of that moment in the opening – even if you don’t realise it when you’re watching it – that everything else happens and wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for that moment. EMMA THOMPSON You start with this little piece of grit and each draft is a layer, and there’s a nacreous quality to that layering. Sometimes, when you’re looking at the pearl at the end – hopefully it’s a pearl, not a pig’s ear – you can see the shadow or the light from a very early draft coming through, a feeling of an early draft. It’s a very interesting layering process. 2. on't d FITZ u o y , drink gamble.

What t ' n o d o, you nd you don't Michael, moke, a o then? C'mon g for you to d 4 faand BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series soBAFTA methin on the The o o you s e b t wank sin. re mus t Y Atheist. a Christian. IERS Muslim. I'm not Jewis 'm not an in is ca My religion, w h. I'm not United S lled the Const hat I belie tates of it America.ution of HOSSEIN AMINI Working with actors once the script has got to a certain stage is something I’d love to be able to keep doing. I think they have certain insights and ideas, and, ultimately, they’re the people who will have to say those lines. I’ve become much less precious about nailing the dialogue in drafts one or two, because I know at some stage they’re going to want changes to fit their patterns of delivery. It’s great to be part of that process. DAV I D S G OY E R Write what you feel passionate about not what you think the market is dictating.

At the end of the day, I believe good writing, and passionate writing, will always win out. JAMES SCHAMUS The words on the page, the textual linearity of them, are really the matrix for the introduction of capital into the process. And that means that at that moment something else happens. Those words become not simply words and not simply inspired creations, but they become a place where we conflate two separate ideologies and two separate economic practices. in association with The JJ Charitable Trust 5 n... SUSANNAH GRANT I guess what you need is a little bit of wisdom and honesty, to look at something you’ve written that feels false, or boring or derivative, or in poor taste, or inauthentic to you, or just plain not good enough. And say to yourself: ‘I bet I can do better.’ And then you sit yourself down and try to do better, and then once you’ve done that decide it can be better still. And when you’ve made it better, take another crack at it to see if you can improve it even more. You have to be clear. You have to be simpler and richer. And that’s difficult.

TO N Y G I L ROY You hear all the time, ‘Write what you know.’ I don’t know if that means ‘write what you’ve lived’, which would put a lot of people in the ghetto of their own existence – I think that’s pretty limiting. You can only write what you know about, and what you know about will limit or open the possibilities to everything. Science, history, how the world works, tools, jobs, occupations. Are you interested in other people? Are you a curious person? R I C H A R D C U RT I S When anyone ever says, ‘How do I start? Where do I send my scripts?’, my first piece of advice is to send them to producers or people that you really, really like their credits and the things they’ve made before. Don’t send them to the five most successful producers in the country, because they won’t be to your taste and your stuff won’t be to their taste. I think that’s crucially important. 2. on't d FITZ u o y , credits: inkPhotoSimonds, What drBAFTA/Jamie .

e t l ' b n m o a d g BAFTA/Stephen on't Butler o, you nd you d chael, to i M a n o , m e ' k mo then? C ething for you o d Theo 6 u faand BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series o y s BAFTA m o o e s h t e b n o t wank sin. re mus You might want a bigger screen Dive into BAFTA Guru to get insights, advice and more from hundreds of BAFTA winners and nominees from the worlds of film, television and games. @BAFTAGuru Jimmy McGovern | Cracker | ZoomInfo.com Jimmy McGovern You Magazine Interview with Jimmy McGovern The creator of TV's Cracker who stirred controversy with his dramatisation of the Hillsborough disaster last year, is doing what he does best: ruffling more feathers. Jimmy McGovern is thoughtful, softly spoken and scrupulously polite. His lights a cigarette, and, as if in sympathy, his voice falters and stammers as he struggles to find certain words. He doesn't joke and rarely raises his Particularly as McGovern admits that most of his work is autobiographical. But Jimmy McGovern has always enjoyed getting his professional hands dirty.

Since the early 80's, when he was invited by Phil Redmond to join the writing team of the newest channel's fledgling soap opera, he's inflamed debate on issues such as rape, child abuse, racism, injustice, drug addiction and homosexuality in the Catholic church. He's also courted controversy, most recently with his polemical drama about the 1989 Hillsborough football disaster in which 95 Liverpool fans were crushed to death, and for which he holds the police directly responsible. (Since the programme was shown last year, the government has set up an enquiry into the events.) If it's taboo, then McGovern will dig it up, dissect it and hurl the pieces into the nation's sitting rooms. But what really interests him, and makes him interesting to the millions who lapped up Hearts and Minds, Cracker, Priest and Hillsborough is moral conflict and all the messy human stuff - jealousy, betrayal, hypocrisy, lust, deception, guilt - that polite society prefers not to discuss. Not that you'd know what goes on in McGovern's head from listening to him. As a young hothead he success as a writer that kept McGovern on the straight and narrow.

These days he lives with Eileen in a suburb of Liverpool and bad behaviour is confined to the occasional lost evening in the pub. "It sounds corny," he says, "but the big secret if you gamble or drink too much is to fill the void, to find something to fill whatever it is in there that makes you do the things you shouldn't be doing. ... McGovern is dismissive. On some things he still takes a very clear line. "My in-laws are there, so I've got to know the area very well," he Neal attributes Cracker's success to a combination of McGovern's writing and Coltrane's acting. ... In Fitz, Jimmy has created a man, warts and all, who is struggling on a day to day basis with life as we understand it. It's difficult and it's boring. He's also created a character who doesn't like himself very much, and that's something we can all identify with without having to experience it. ... "Cracker works because Jimmy wrote it and Robbie is in it,'' says Neal. New York Times Television Reviews Jimmy McGovern ...

With grand Celtic perversity, Fitz, created by the writer Jimmy McGovern, is entirely alien to most pontificating notions of political correctness. ... "Cracker," created by Jimmy McGovern ("Priest"), begins a third season of feature-length dramas tonight on A&E, three this time. Prepare for some serious rattling. ... Intertwining the plots, Mr. McGovern, who wrote the script, offers ingenious variations on his obsessive theme of guilt and atonement, managing to touch on everything from abortion to Mike Tyson. Jimmy McGovern STREET COMP COLLECTION: Amazon.ca: DVD STREET COMP COLLECTION 1 new from CDN$ 870.06 6 used from CDN$ 138.89 Special Offers and Product Promotions Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel, please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. By DBP on Sept. 16 2012 Format: DVD Verified Purchase The Street, three season DVD, has only one problem........... You want Season four!!!

Episodes on the dark side to comedic, this series has everything about life as it occurs from various families on a London street. If you like British drama, you will enjoy this look a some very interesting life challenges. Jimmy McGovern at his best. 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. By Canadian Reviewer on Dec 7 2011 Format: DVD Verified Purchase The Street is an excellent collection of individual yet interconnected dramas, very well written with an excellent cast. British t.v. at its best. 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. By TronnaMo on Oct. 20 2014 Format: DVD Verified Purchase The acting in this series is so good that the great Bob Hoskins doesn't stand out. Nuff said. One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again.

By Frazer Willis on June 25 2016 Format: DVD Verified Purchase Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. 5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Drama May 3 2013 By FYI - Published on Amazon.com Format: DVD Verified Purchase This masterful series rivals the most intricate novels for deft writing and vivid narrative, using the medium of film in a remarkable way. The BAFTA Award winning collection was created by writer Jimmy McGovern (Cracker, The Lakes). From a seemingly seamy beginning, complex, inter-woven stories build deep explorations of life-issues. Set in Manchester, in northern England, this gritty series may start with a shag and suitcase of sweets, but things quickly progress to serious stuff. The Brits have knack for writing sharp observations of flawed human characters.

The slew of actors involved, from Neil Dudgeon, Jim Broadbent, Lee Ingleby, Jane Horrocks, Gina McKee, Liz White, David Bradley, Ruth McCabe, Christine Bottomely, Joanne Froggatt, Timothy Spall, Mark Benton, David Thewlis, Matt Smith, Grace Cassidy, Dean Andrews, and Marshall Lancaster, etc., are some of the best of the best; the U.K. boasts numerous fine, often underrated, actors. Not only are Garibaldi Biscuits in the offing, many of the actors from the superb Life On Mars (U.K.) are featured, also set in Manchester. Great stories peer intimately at a life, its particularities and interconnectedness to other lives; each character's uniqueness touches larger, more universal narratives. "The Street" becomes not just a street in Manchester, but a place we all inhabit. There is no escape from decisions, good or bad, consequences return with vengeance and/or redemption; to say this is an engrossing, compelling series is an understatement. Jim Broadbent, as retiree Stan McDermott, is lost and stuck with a paltry pension. Broadbent swims in his part as only he can.

Contemplating suicide with the darkest of humor, he's faced with a priceless, surreal moment with a television that scolds his generation. You can't miss his trip to the looney-bin, where he meets Shaun McGinley as a lunatic Irishman who thinks he's God, and who promises to send Stan a sign. But is he really nuts? Catch the credits for God. Neil Dudgeon as Brian Peterson, a teacher accused of being a flasher, is unforgettable, superb and evocative (episode 3, Season One). Ultimately, who is the betrayer? His wife claims she has never known him, perhaps it is the other way around. Lee Battle, the young, extremely talented actor who plays the blue-streaked Connor Peterson, his son, should have a long career ahead of him. This is a perfect mix of story and medium of delivery. As Brian Peterson gazes out of a taxi window passing street after fogbound street, you understand that each street is full of stories, each person's life with it's moments of drama. Born story-tellers know from a young age that all around them, others are leading their separate, secret lives. "The Street" allows us to peer into a portion of this mystery.

In "Sean and Yvonne," Lee Ingleby (Harry Potter and George Gently) as Sean O'Neill, and Christine Bottomley (Hope Springs) as his beautiful, battered wife Yvonne drive one of the more harrowing episodes. In a previous story, "Asylum," we understand that Yvonne is as lost and afraid as the Nigerian refugee she connects with and tries to help. Joanne Froggatt Downton Abbey is driven, focused perfection as Yvonne's more privileged sister Kerry; as Aunt Kerry, she dives in to aid her niece Leah O'Neill. With heartbreaking sadness, young Danielle Robinson plays Leah, a child witnessing and surviving the destructive evil of her parents' relationship. This is harrowing stuff, yet finely done. Lee Ingelby is coiled, manic, menacing violence, while Christine Bottomley is a revelation; what acting. David Thewlis (familiar to Harry Potter fans) can't be missed in the aptly named and fiercely engrossing "Twin," where envy, loyalty, love, and dreadful decisions culminate in an honest denouement.

In "Old Flame," Timothy Spall ("Harry Potter" too) is a beleaguered taxi driver whose life crashes due to his foibles. The scene with his wife on the bus, facing breast cancer, is inspired poetry, Shakespearean without being derivative, "redundant t*ts" and all; no one does the English language better than this. You just have to see and hear it. In "Taxi," Matt Smith (Doctor Who) faces the horror of being falsely accused and familial treachery; his parents are superbly played by Grace Cassidy and Oliver Stokes. Whilst in lock-up, his father offers sage advice. The story has one of the most satisfying endings ever. "The Letter" is a remarkable story about an unlikely but much-needed friendship between a beleaguered, thieving postman (Mark Benton) and a lost kid (Michael Taylor, great young actor)), with Dean Andrews ("Life On Mars" and sequel Ashes to Ashes) as a kindly colleague. The scene with the doctor saying, on request in really "plain English," to the dissolute, injured postman that "your back is f****d" is perfection. Been there! "The Promise." There are no words.

But I will try; Toby Kebbell is "Paul Billerton," a character who appears so detestable that one wonders what kind of promise he could possibly make that matters. Then we meet a bereaved mother, Jodhi May as "Jean Lefferty." And everything wobbles. Written by Jimmy McGovern, directed by David Blair, the performances are beyond description. Michelle Fairly (as Paul's mother) and Mary Jo Randle ("The Lakes"), as Jean's mother, are both superb (as always). Again, another young actor in "The Street" is amazing; Kyle Ward as "young Paul." The great Bob Hoskins is the lead in "Paddy," another fable about fate & courage; in "The Street," truth of spirit will out. Liam Cunningham is the menacing bully, Jasmine Franks ("Morse") is wonderful as Paddy's wife Orla, as is Charlotte Lewis ("The Lakes") Liam's wife Siobhan.

In "Dee," Anna Friel completely is Dee, caught between a surprisingly deep new relationship with Mark (Daneil Mays of "Ashes to Ashes"); her lovable gingery sons are played with perfection by more supremely talented young actors (Jordan Hill and Sam Lenthall); Mark's parents are the memorable David Bradely (Harry Potter again!) and Barbara Martin as his wife, placed on a horrible pedestal she never wanted to be on. "Soldiers" explores scarring within and without, with Nick (Jonas Armstrong) and his friend Vinny (Martin Walsh) deeply damaged by war; Nick's girlfriend "Gemma" (luminously played by Emily Beecham) fights to teach him about the real meaning of beauty. "Polish" takes another obnoxious character, barking chef Kieran (beautifully and precisely played by Joseph Mawle), and turns preconceptions upside-down; shame hovers like a thick fog of cigarette smoke shrouding Keiran's dreadful decisions. He looses his heart to the lovely Olenka (Julia Krynke delicately allows emotion to ripple across her face).

"Shay" (Stephen Graham spookily on target) plunges us into the lost world of an alcoholic meeting his ex (Maxine Peake is great) and his impaired but lovely son Otto, exquisitely played by Leon Harrop. The last episode is a tired flatliner, where McGovern shows his tenancy to destroy his characters. Despite this, and grueling conflicts within "The Street," I can't recommend the series highly enough. Each riveting episode is dense, there's no excess or wasted scenes; they feel like feature-length films. All the writers, and the directors (David Blair and Terry McDonough), are the best of the best; the actors must have been thrilled to push the envelope the way they freed them to. The only caveat is that unfortunately, for those in noisy environments where the telly is hard to hear, or for those hard of hearing, subtitles are not provided. 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Great series but sometimes difficult to understand. June 8 2015 By J. Palumbo - Published on Amazon.com Format: DVD Verified Purchase One of the best British series I've ever watched.

The one and only problem I had was with understanding the Manchester dialect. The stories were all very moving, very earthy and touched me. All kinds of everyday subjects were dealt with brilliantly. I really missed a lot because I couldn't understand what was being said. My husband gave up after the third episode. I think that sub-titles would have cleared things up. Even with this difficulty I would gladly purchase more of "The Street" if it were offered. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Great series Aug. 10 2013 By Avid Reader - Published on Amazon.com Format: DVD Verified Purchase The stories are all stand alone but you see continuing characters. The stories brought a lot of different emotions. They had different themes and you never knew what to expect. I would definitely recommend! 39 of 42 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars "The Street" is British TV drama at its best. Feb. 22 2012 By Amazon Customer - Published on Amazon.com Format: DVD Verified Purchase During the first episode the viewer becomes involved with the characters and the ways that lives can change in an instant.

Following episodes are then engrossing because they look at the life of the street from a different person's perspective in each episode. The structure of the series and the realistic scripts makes The Street's characters engrossing, funny, desperate and pathetic. The trials and tribulations of ordinary life in a British city are portrayed very well.

Question: Which BAFTA award-winning scriptwriter created the TV series The Street, Accused, The Lakes and Cracker?
Answer: JIMMY MCGOVERN